Yorozuya Toukaidou Honpo

By Saenagi Ryou

Chapter 9 Part 3

Dear Fragments

Translated by Kudou Omi

Note: Why did I choose to translate Yorozuya into English in spite of the fact that I’m French…? At first, I wanted Image Garden to be in French, but I thought it was too restrictive. Sure my English isn’t perfect, but this way I can introduce manga I like to much more people. I decided the same for the translations. Moreover it forces me to work my English even a little, since I have troubles with my memory abilities and would otherwise forget this language I like. So sorry for my lack of skills, and please cope up with the mistakes. ^^; (anyway I’ve never been very good in translation, even when it was French/English, so with Japanese…)

P68

Yoshitsune: "This is the last letter."

Kaori: "It’s very sudden, isn’t it?"

Yoshitsune: "Something must have happen, I think she’s got her reasons but… Shinku, did she write something about it in her previous mail?"

Shinku: "Nothing."

P69

Yoshitsune: "Such tension!"

Kaori: "It’s strange. Each month you receive a letter from your mother without fail, and suddenly she tells you she won’t write any longer."

Yoshitsune: "Each time the address of the sender is situated quite far. The postmark too. In the previous ones, it indicated it came from Houkaidou. But until now you couldn’t find her. Why?"

Kaori: "Hum? There’s something left inside."

P70

"This is…!!"

Kaori: "There’s something about her, like my sister…"

Yoshitsune: "Really? She’s my type!"

Kaori: /You fell in for my sister, Shima-san…/

Shinku: "Each time there’s a picture of my mother inside."

Yoshitsune: "Really?"

Shinku: "I’m always happy and feel good when I watch her picture. She seems to have a strong character, though she looks kind. When I entered show business, I had no longer time to have fun with friends. I came to dislike this work then.

P71

Shinku: "But mother also realized it…"

*flashback*

Shinku’s mother: "If you don’t like this job, then it’s ok if you want to stop. I was the one who first wanted you to start this work. Of course, if you decided to stop, don’t do it suddenly. Don’t get the habit of giving up easily. But fighting can be really painful. If you work hard, then you’ll be at peace with yourself."

P72

S’s mother: "Even in those painful moments, you can always find some a plus."

*end of flashback*

Shinku: "That’s her favorite phrase."

Kaori: "Isn’t she a great mother?"

Shinku: "Ye..yeah."

Yoshitsune: /He gave Kaori a confused smile!/

Kaori: "Shima-san?" What’s with you?

Yoshitsune: "Nothing… by the way, when did you start receiving letters?"

Shinku: "Mother left a year ago, I received the first one about 6 months ago."

P73

Yoshitsune: "Haven’t your mother kept in touch with her parents??"

Shinku: "No… I’ve investigated but they don’t know where she is."

Kaori: "Maybe she went back in the countryside?"

Shinku: "Not even once. Her parents were opposed to her marriage! They thought she was too young and wanted to separate them!"

Yoshitsune: "She would have contacted her parents first. I’d like to meet your father. When will he go back home?"

Shinku: "He works as a tour guide in a travel company. He can be absent from home for a while. I don’t know if he’ll come back today…"

P74

Yoshitsune: /That guy is…/ "Your father?"

Shinku: "Yeah. This… read this…"

S’s father (Mr Himura): "You can’t give her up, can you?"

P75

Shinku: "Stop joking!! The last link we have with her is disappearing! How can you get rid of it this easily?! Why didn’t you try to look for her!?! That’s your duty!!"

Yoshitsune: "Shi…"

P76

Yoshitsune: "Shinku… Don’t you worry for him?"

Mr Himura: "It’s our problem. Don’t interfere."

Yoshitsune: "But… I can understand his feeling. The impossibility to see his mother…!! It’s so painful…!!" /I know it… This feeling…/

P77

Kaori: "I quite understand your point of view. This person’s emotions seem to considerably synchronize with Shinku’s. They prevent you from taking the opportunity to let it down. Just like they did for me."

Yoshitsune: "Kaori… Is it really your opinion?"

Kaori: "Shut up!"

Mr himura: "You’re… Kyou, aren’t you?"

Kaori: "Yes…"

P78

Mr Himura: "To remember you so well…"

Yoshitsune: /Uh?/ "Kaori-chan…!! You know that guy!?"

Kaori: "I… I don’t…"

Yoshitsune: "You say you remember him…!!"

Kaori: "/Shut up!/ "Have we met before?"

Mr Himura: "No… It’s nothing, don’t pay attention. I’ve worked hard, I’m tired. Could you please leave?"

Yoshitsune: /Somehow he looks completely exhausted./

P79

Yoshitsune: "First of all, we came to borrow the letter but… we didn’t learn much. We’ll have to go and see his father once again tomorrow. I wanna know more about their relationship."

Kaori: "…Hum"

Yoshitsune: "Kaori-chan? Found something?"

Kaori: "No… It’s just that I’ve been thinking hard, and I still don’t see where I’ve met him."

Yoshitsune: "Ha… He didn’t told us either."

Kaori: "Do you think he’ll cooperate obediently?"

Yoshitsune: "I don’t think so… Yeah?"

P80

Kaori: "Shinku?!"

Shinku: "Hi! Wanna talk."

Kaori: "You know where I live?"

Shinku: "I followed you."

Yoshitsune: You…

Shinku: "I don’t want to go back home for now."

Yoshistune: / I understand why…/

Kaori: "Oh… Ha, Yukinobu-san. Hum… yes. Alright."

Yoshitsune: "What did he want?"

P81

Kaori: "The last selection for the commercial takes place in three days."

Shinku: "The commercial… I had completely forgotten about it."

Yoshitsune: /That’s true… he said it was only for his mother…/ "Isn’t it great, Kaori? He says he stops applying for the commercial!"

Shinku: "Wha… But I’ve never said that!!"

Yoshitsune: "Really?"

Shinku: "If I do a great job, mother may change her mind. Maybe she would even come back!"

P82

Yoshitsune: "Good! Good!"

Shinku: "Stop that!!"

Kaori: "By the way, do you want to sleep here tonight?"

Shinku: "I can?"

Kaori: "I don’t mind."

Yoshitsune: /That Kaori invites someone to spend the night in his own room is…!!/

Kaori: "Shima-san?"

Yoshitsune: "Nothing…"

Kaori: "Could it be… Shima-san, you’re jealous?"

Yoshitsune: "Don’t say that with such a weird voice! Shinku! You should call your father."

Shinku: "He’s not going to be worried for me."

Yoshitsune: /Damn…/

P83

Yoshitsune: /Well… Mr Himura hasn’t left home yet. I woke up early to see him, it was a difficult task!/ <= woke up at 9:00am

Mr Himura: "Shinku!? You’re yesterday’s…!"

Yoshitsune: "Wh…what?"

Mr Himura: "Do you know where’s Shinku? He didn’t come back since yesterday evening…!!"

Yoshitsune: "Shinku stayed at Kyou’s flat. Now they must have gone to work."

P84

Mr Himura: "Good… I’m glad."

Yoshitsune: /His eyes are red… He couldn’t sleep. He may not be the cold guy Shinku told us about… But if Shinku is that important to him… why didn’t he go and look for his wife?/

P85

Yoshitsune: "Hey…!? Are you alright!?" /He fainted because of lack of sleep. Travel magazines? He’s a tour guide in a travel company. He must have reductions?/

P86

Yoshitsune: /An article? Why does he have such a thing…? There’s a profile…/

Article: (title) Morioka’s people

Himura Enji

Former travel company tour guide. After retiring one year ago, from this experience he became a travel writer.

Shinku: *flashback* "Because my father is a tour guide in a travel company…"

Yoshitsune: /Does Shinku know that his father is now a writer? It’s written one year ago… Probably when his mother left… This place… It’s the same that was on the postmark of the latest letter…/

P87

Yoshitsune: /Could this mean…/ "Just as I thought…" /The previous articles are about the same places as on the postmarks. Is it a coincidence? Or is it that…/

Mr Himura: "What are you doing?"

P88

Yoshitsune: "… Was it you? You wrote all those letters instead of your wife. I guessed alright. Couldn’t you look for her instead of doing such a thing!? If you did this for Shinku, couldn’t you do more?"

P89

Yoshitsune: "You built a gentle lie." /The words dad pronounced in the middle of fire and smoke./

Mr Shima: *flashback* "Yoshitsune! Go out! We’ll join you outside later!"

Yoshitsune: /A gentle lie, to save me./ "But you should think about the feelings the one you lied to will have when he’ll realize what you did."

P90

Yoshitsune: /Shit… I talked as if it concerned me once again! I know… it’s said the one to whom it’s the most painful is the one who lied. ! ….? Where is he going? Let’s follow him./

P91

Yoshitsune: /Ishiguro…? An acquaintance?/

Someone: "Yes?"

Yoshitsune: /Uh…?/

P92

Yoshitsune: /Shinku’s mother!? What… what the…!?/

P93

Woman: "See you, Kyou!"

Kaori: "Bye! By the way, Shima-san, I had never seen you hurry to come here."

Yoshitsune: "Ugh… maybe if I hadn’t seen him worry for Shinku… But I think he’s been hiding Shinku the place where his mother lives."

Shinku: "Is it true?"

Yoshitsune: "Shin…!!"

Shinku: "What you said just now… The place where mother lives… Dad knows where it is… Tell me! Where is my mother!?"

Yoshitsune: "Wai… wait! We should first try to learn why did he hide this!"

P94

Shinku: "There’s a reason to meet my mother!! Don’t you think my will to see her isn’t enough!?"

Yoshitsune: /To say this… is painful…/ "Here it is."

S’s mother: "Who are you?"

Yoshitsune: "Sorry for the intrusion."

Shinku: "It’s really her…"

Mother: "!"

P95

Mother: "You!! You’re Kyou!!"

Yoshitsune and Shinku: "Uh?"

Mother: "I’m one of your biggest fans! Could you please have a picture with me!?"

Shinku: "Mother!!"

P96

Mother: "You… who are you……?"

Yoshitsune: /What…!?/

Chapter 9 Part 3 – Owari!